Lehigh Valley Congressman Charlie Dent played host Wednesday evening and Thursday to his GOP colleagues in the House and Senate, who trekked to Hershey for their beginning-of-session retreat.

There, they heard from comedian Jay Leno and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair — and Republicans in the other chamber whom they might not get a chance to talk to often.

GOP leaders played up the getting-to-know-you benefits, telling reporters at the Hershey Lodge that the mingling and policy discussions will help as they try to work together on taking major legislative action on issues such as immigration and health care.

Another goal?

"Helping members to manage expectations," Dent said.

Part of the closed-door sessions centered on reminding eager House members — who enjoy a larger majority and a lower vote threshold to move their priorities — that things work a little differently on the other side of the Capitol, he said.

"Everything is harder in the Senate," Dent told reporters, adding that the chamber "has two speeds: slow and glacial."

He came out of early meetings saying he was "more pessimistic" that there will be significant action on revamping the tax code, due largely to those Senate challenges. But he sees opportunity for some bipartisan collaboration on issues like trade policy and transportation funding.

Dent kept a somewhat low profile outside the sessions. He was circled by reporters when he entered the press room, but politely suggested they might want to listen to Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy when he walked in. But McCarthy was quick to sing his praises.

Describing him as a "Teddy Roosevelt Republican," McCarthy said Dent plays a key role in House Republican debates over what direction a piece of legislation may be headed.

"There's nothing that we move within there that you don't check with Charlie," McCarthy said. "The way he thinks about things, you want to check in with him."

In a Senate floor speech last week, Pennsylvania Republican Pat Toomey said the protests across the country after the killings of unarmed black men by white police officers have been "demoralizing" for law enforcement.

The Lehigh Valley lawmaker said he supports the rights of those upset by the police actions in Ferguson, Mo., and New York City to express their opinion.

However, Toomey said, "the overwhelming majority of police officers are honest, hard-working, decent Americans" who are motivated by a desire to serve and "don't have a racist bone in their bodies."

"My message to law enforcement is, I understand how demoralizing it must have been recently to see some of these protests, to hear some of the outrageous and slanderous statements that have been made," said Toomey, who attended a recent rally in Philadelphia in support of local police officers.

"These protesters don't speak for most Americans," he continued, adding that most Pennsylvanians and citizens across the country understand and appreciate the sacrifices that law enforcement officers make.

He noted that 115 officers were killed in the line of duty last year, describing Eric Frein's attack on two state troopers as one example. Toomey also urged approval of a bill from Democrat Bob Casey to provides scholarships to the children of officers killed in action.

— Laura Olson

Dent: I'm not a potted plant

"I'm a member of Congress; I'm not a potted plant. I don't take my orders from the White House. There's a new sheriff in the Senate, and so he's not going to have a compliant majority leader in the Senate who's going to bottle up and bury everything."

— Rep. Charlie Dent, R-15th District, to the Associated Press on White House threats to veto several of the House's initial bills